Fossil-fuel companies are the “godfathers of climate chaos” and should face advertising bans similar to those imposed on tobacco, said António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, during a major speech in New York on Wednesday.

Delivering new scientific warnings about global heating, Guterres urged news and tech media to stop enabling “planetary destruction” by accepting fossil-fuel advertising money.

Drawing parallels to tobacco advertising restrictions, Guterres demanded all countries ban fossil-fuel advertising, emphasizing the urgency as the world faces “climate crunch time.”

“We are playing Russian roulette with our planet,” Guterres stated, speaking beneath a 94-foot model of a blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History. He stressed that, like the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, humans are having an outsized impact on the climate, making them the “danger.”

Guterres reaffirmed that the 1.5°C target is “still just about possible” but called for significant efforts to reduce carbon emissions, increase climate finance for poorer countries, and ostracize the fossil-fuel industry for its role in the climate crisis. He criticized fossil-fuel firms for their record profits and reliance on taxpayer-funded subsidies while contributing to the climate crisis. “We cannot accept a future where the rich are protected in air-conditioned bubbles, while the rest of humanity is lashed by lethal weather in unlivable lands,” he said.

He accused fossil-fuel companies of distorting the truth and deceiving the public about climate science and called on governments to ban fossil-fuel advertising. He also urged public relations and media companies to stop working with oil, gas, and coal interests, warning that fossil fuels are not only poisoning the planet but are also toxic to their brands.

Guterres acknowledged the growth in clean-energy deployment but emphasized the need for governments to accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels. “It’s ‘we, the peoples’ versus the polluters and the profiteers,” he declared. He urged leaders to choose sides and act decisively.